Traction device.



No. 698,699. Patented Apr. 29, I902. F. L. GOULD.

TRACTION DEVICE. (Application filed A r. 15. 1901.

(No Model.)

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WITNESS ES "m: humus PETERS no PMoTo-umq, wAsmqumu. D c.

FRED LINCOLN GOULD, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOULD TRACTION CAR COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

TRACTIO N DEVI'C E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters IEatent N 0. 698,699, dated April29, 1902.

Application'filed April 15, 1901.

To aZZ iii/"tom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED LINCOLN GOULD, a citizen of the United States of America, and :a resident of Seattle, in the county of King :and State of Washington, have invented certaiu new and useful Improvements in Traction Devices, of which the following is a speciffication.

My invention relates to improvements in traction devices, and has special reference to transporting apparatus adapted to travel by successive stepping.

sponding parts throughout, is facilitation of transportation over marshes, snow-fields, and dense beds of vegetation and simplified constructive features incidental to the embodiment of the means incorporated in accomplishing the objects.

With reference to the aforementioned drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the device as now considered. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of same, on large scale, on line 8 3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Before proceeding to describe the embodiment of this invention the prerequisite of a device to facilitate transportation over extremely soft surfaces, as the tundras of northern latitudes and fields of soft snow, will be briefly set forth, and in furtherance of a clear understanding attention should be given to the extreme softness and depth of the Arctic moss and the resistance it offers to advancement by a sliding or plowing movement. Accordingly a transporting device to be practical should be supported entirely above the surface during advancement, and in a successively-stepping apparatus the advancing parts must of a necessity be kept several feet above the base of the supporting parts during progress.

With the above in mind a clear and comprehensive understanding of the utility'and adaptability of this invention for facilitating Serial No. 55,944. (No model.)

' transportation under such unfavorable circumstances and a full and exact disclosure of the construction thereof will be gleaned from the following description.

The invention includes a suitable body portion or platform, a plurality of sets of movable supporting-legs therefor, and preferred means for successively advancing the respective sets of legs and simultaneously progressively advancing and supporting the platform on the preceding set or sets, and incidental to the present embodiment the legs are convenientlyprovided with suitable feet,

which are preferably individually fixed to both legs of a respective pair.

As now considered, the body portion of the device conforms to a platform, as 1, and the entire drivingmechanism is-preferably placed on the upper surface thereof to conveniently support it from contact with obstruction or entanglements lying across the line of traction. The legs of the device comprise suitable rigid structures, as 2, which are of suitable length to support the platform well above the traction-surface and are arranged in sets, which are adapted to successsively ofier support tothe platform during advancement of a succeeding set or sets for like purpose and the progress of the platform. In the present embodiment the legs and platform are cooperatively connected by suitable brackets, as 3, fixed to the platform, and suitable antifriction bearing-blocks, as rollers 4, operatively fixed to the respective legs in cooperative relation with said brackets, so as to serve the double purpose of poising the platform on the rollers of the preceding set of legs and the succeeding sets of legs on the platform, whereby the platform can be progressively advanced on'the planted set of legs and the unsupporting sets simultaneously successively advanced on the platform and placed in supporting position as the platform approaches the limit of its movement on the planted set, thereby conveniently connecting the said parts for mutual progressive advancement.

- To conveniently accommodate the correlative movements of the platform and legs, suit able parallel slots 5 are preferably formedllongitudinally in the platform to receive said legs, conforming to the length of the respective progressive and advancing movements of said parts and conveniently embodied to serve as guides therefor alternately, and are consequently sized in width to embrace the respective legs and afford substantial sliding conjuncture of the sets of legs, when planted, with the progressing platform. As now included, each set of legs embraces four legs arranged in opposite pairs relatively to the line of traction, with each leg operating adjacent a respective corner of the platform through a respective slot 5, and the individuals of each pair are preferably connected by suitable longitudinally-disposed ties to render the apparatus more rigid. These ties, as now included, consist of suitable feet, as 6, extending parallel the line of traction and each fixed to the lower extremities of a respective pair of legs and preferably formed with their ends turned upwardly to facilitate the movements thereof.

In the present instance the sets of legs number three, each set embracing two pair individually disposed at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the platform and having conformity of movement induced by suitable operative mechanism conveniently mounted on the platform and adapted in this embodiment to elevate the lower extremities of the legs as they are released from supporting position and lower same as they reach advanced position.

In furtherance of simplicity the legs and platform are preferably progressively moved by the same drives, including suitable endless link belts, as '7, each of which is operatively related to a respective leg and mounted parallel, the brackets 3 on suitable chain-wheels 8, respectively disposed adjacent opposite extremities of a respective slot 5 and adapted for continuous rotary movement, and the respective leg is pivotally connected to the belt in a suit-able manner to involve simultaneous travel therewith with respect to the platform and conforming to the bearing-surface of the respective bracket 3.

The reference character 9 denotes suitable stands fixed to the platform and adapted to support the respective brackets 3 clear of the platform, so as to accommodate the rollers 4 of the supporting set of legs beneath said brackets during movement thereon of the platform, as promoted by continuous operation of the link belts, which first serve to advance a respective set of legs on the platform, with the attendant rollers 4 operating on the upper surface of respective brackets, and then the platform 'on the advanced legs, with the lower surface of said brackets advancing on the said rollers and the platform pendent from the brackets.

As now included the pairs of legs on each side of body 1 are preferably rendered independently operative to conveniently effect a variance in the course of travel of the device by altering the relative speed of the said pairs, and the drivers atta'ched'to the two inner pair on each side of the device are preferably mounted on the same respective shafts, as 11 and 12, while the driver for the outer pair is mounted on independently-operative shafts 13 and 14, thereby breaking the lines to accommodate the movements of the intermediate pairs of legs on the respective sides. 15 is asuitable generator, as a boiler, placed on the platform and adapted to furnish motive energy for the device, which is conveniently transmitted to respective drivers through suitable mediums, as a pair of independently-operative engines 16 and 17, located at opposite sides of the platform and coupled to one of each of the respective shafts 11 and 12 by suitable link belts l8 and 19 and attendant chain-wheels 20 and 21, fixed to the crank-shafts of the engines and to the said shafts of the drivers, while the feet 6 and platform 1 alternately serve to transmit said energy from the directly-coupled drivers to those involving idlers for support, as respectively disposed on the left and right of Fig. 1.

In constructing the device for operations over the fields mentioned the chain-Wheel 8 should be of sufficient diameter to reciprocate the lower extremities of the legs vertically the requisite distance to clear well all obstructions as they are advanced, and thereby render the apparatus operative over fields heretofore practically impassable to devices of this class.

Granting construction of the device, an op eration thereof occurs substantially as follows: Motive energy is supplied to the engines, with a resultant progressive movement of the platform on the planted set or sets of legs, and simultaneous advance of the succeeding set or sets on the platform to a supporting position attained previously to the termination of the supporting duty of the preceding set or sets. hen desired to vary the direction of travel of the device, the legs on respective sides of the device are operated at different speeds.

Having thus described my invention, what IQclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the nature indicated; the combination with a platform; of a plurality of movable legs, laterally projecting bearingblocks on said legs, and upper and lower bearing-surfaces longitudinally the platform respectively cooperating with said blocks to support respective legs for advancement on the platform and the platform for progressive movement on a supporting set of said legs.

2. In a device of the nature indicated; the combination with a platform; of a plurality of movablelegs arranged in sets and having laterally-projecting bearing-surfaces, upper and lower bracket-surfaces longitudinally the platform and mechanism operatively connected with said platform and legs to place and advance said sets of legs successively on said upper surface and to move said platform progressivelywith said lower surface resting on the bearing-blocks of preceding legs.

3. In a device of the nature indicated; the

combination with a platform; of a plurality of movable legs, means cooperatively connecting said platform and legs to support the platform for progressive movement on preceding legs and succeeding legs for advancement on the platform and means to elevate and lower the unsupporting legs from and to the traction-surface.

4. In a device of the nature indicated; the combination with a platform; of a plurality of movable legs, bearing-blocks on said legs and brackets on the platform cooperating with said blocks to alternately support the platform for progressive movement on planted legs and unplanted legs for advancement on the platform.

5. In a device of the nature indicated; the

combination with a platform; of a plurality.

of movable legs, laterally-projecting bearingblocks on said legs and brackets fixed on said platform each having an endless bearingsur-' face cooperating with a respective block to support the platform for progressive movement on planted legs and unplanted legs for advancement on the platform.

6. In a device of the nature indicated; the combination with a platform having a series of longitudinally-disposed parallel guides adjacent each side edge; of legs movably engaged with said guides, and having laterallyprojecting bearing-blocks andties disposed longitudinally said platform connecting the legs in pairs, bracket on said platform having endless bearing-surfaces for said blocks parallel said guides and endless belts mounted on said platform in conformation to said bearing-surfaces and operatively connected to respective legs.

7. In a device of the nature indicated; the combination with a platform having a series of longitudinally-disposed parallel guide-slots adjacent each corner; of legs movably engaged with said guides and having laterallyprojecting bearing-blocks and feet disposed and lower bearing-surfaces for the blocks,

chain-wheels mounted at opposite ends of each slot, endless link belts on said wheels operatively connected to respective legs and means to supply motive energy to a wheel of each pair of legs.

9. In adevice of the nature indicated the combination of a platform 1 having slots 5,

legs 2 movable in'the slots connected in pairs, by feet 6 and having bearing-rollers 4 journaled thereon, brackets 3 for'said rollers parallel said slots, belts 7 mounted parallel said,

brackets and connected to the legs and suitable means to drive a belt of each pair of legs. Signed by me at Seattle, Washington, this 30th day of March, 1901.

FRED LINCOLN GOULD. Witnesses:

W. PARRY SMITH, Mrs. F. E. HUNTER. 

